Participants: Eric Kelly
Series Code: WTD
Program Code: WTD000005A
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00:30 Hello and welcome to "Working the Dream"
00:32 I'm your host Eric Kelly, and you've probably noticed 00:36 that I'm not all knotted up in a shirt and tie 00:38 because it is... drum roll please, "Casual Friday!" 00:43 Now notice I didn't say, "grunge Friday or "wrinkled, 00:48 hat, mess Friday or what in the world do you have on Friday?" 00:54 Casual Friday is simply a day that many employers 00:58 allow their employees to dress 00:59 down just a notch prior to the weekend. 01:03 It builds good feelings about the work place. 01:06 However, they are still expecting a degree of 01:09 professionalism. 01:10 Sadly, I've talked to some managers who regret 01:14 allowing the casual Friday practice to even start at all 01:18 because of how it's turned out. 01:20 Well, what does that have to do with today's topic? 01:23 Well today, we're going to share how you can build 01:26 a powerful personal career brand. 01:31 Your image is the perception people have of you 01:34 based on observations and insights over time. 01:38 Simply put, your image is your personal brand. 01:42 To have a positive brand, one must have created 01:46 a positive image. 01:48 Now, can you do things to build your personal brand, your image? 01:53 Absolutely! 01:54 Now if you want to understand how branding works 01:57 let's take a trip to your local grocery store. 02:01 Let's say today, you're going to make a dish 02:04 that requires corn... 02:06 So, you go to the aisle that has canned vegetables, 02:09 and there before you are just oodles of choices for corn. 02:14 Now even if you don't think about it consciously, 02:17 you are going to buy the can that you feel 02:21 most comfortable with. 02:22 Your comfort level with what you buy - may be based 02:26 on an advertisement where you saw a commercial of a 02:29 very happy..."Ho Ho Ho," very tall individual extolling 02:34 the virtues of his brand of corn. 02:37 Now this subconsciously started to create a positive brand image 02:42 in your mind - maybe after that, you visited a friend 02:45 and then made a casserole corn dish and when they 02:49 served it - it was so delicious that when you complimented 02:53 their cooking skills, they shared the brand of corn 02:56 that they used. 02:57 Either way, your eyes and ears registered a brand from the 03:02 commercial, then your eyes and ears and taste buds registered 03:06 a brand at your friend's meal and from those senses, 03:10 you will now make a choice when you are faced 03:13 with the options for corn. 03:15 When it's time for you to buy an automobile, 03:18 branding also is a big influencer. 03:21 I've seen some of the brands that present themselves 03:24 with scenes depicting young, energetic, fun-loving drivers 03:29 that are all looking for features and economic value. 03:32 The images are of young people and they're laughing, 03:36 they're piling into a car and they're going to go out 03:37 and have a fun-filled evening... Wow - cool car! 03:41 Now, I've seen some other brands that depict a more distinguished 03:45 couple driving a luxury automobile and the verbiage 03:49 that the announcer uses goes something like this... 03:52 "This is what you drive when you have finally arrived." 03:57 Arrived at what? 03:59 Some of us who chose that brand wonder where the 04:02 announcer was when that first car note notice arrived. 04:06 Either way, branding influences choices. 04:09 Now the workplace is no different. 04:12 Your employers have seen employees come and go, 04:16 and based on their experiences with people, 04:19 they're looking for an image, a brand if you will of a person 04:23 that they believe will help their organization become 04:26 even more successful. 04:28 Your image, your brand will be built around three 04:32 major things. 04:33 The first is dress - what do people see 04:37 when they look at you? 04:39 How you dress - what you choose to wear to work will affect 04:42 how those in authority perceive your judgment and ability. 04:47 The second area is - what they hear. 04:50 Your communication skills - verbal and nonverbal. 04:54 Interestingly enough, people with strong 04:57 verbal communication skills are often given credit for an 05:02 above average level of intelligence which may 05:05 or may not be true. 05:06 Now, don't let that one get around. 05:09 The third consideration is how you combine both 05:13 to project a competent, positive image. 05:17 So image is the following: 05:28 Well let's look at the impact of dress, communication skill, 05:31 and positive image projection on the careers of 05:35 Grant and Malik... 05:37 Hey my brother man - I been calling you all day, Rocco man. 05:39 Where you been, man I'm glad you finally picked the phone up. 05:41 Hey, check this out - Saturday night is going to be 05:43 off the chain - I got that leather jacket, 05:45 that New York hoodie and I'm sport'n these "AB Ed glasses," 05:48 here man - I gotta go man, the hall monitor just walked in. 05:51 Man brother - can't you see I'm on the phone my brother? 05:54 Man, you know we shouldn't be on the phone when it's 05:56 when it's not break time. 05:57 You gotta lighten up, you're always so tight. 05:59 Man, the work is getting done, and what's the problem? 06:01 Yeah, the work is getting done, but what happens if the 06:03 boss comes in here and you're acting up? 06:06 The boss comes down here? I mean, really? Like really? 06:10 People up - you think the people upstairs care about us 06:12 down here? I mean G-stacks 06:13 don't know nobody but the mail and you. 06:15 You look like... you always down here. 06:18 Look at - by the way, you walk around with a tie, 06:19 do you think they gonna come down here and save us? 06:22 How you act, what you dress, what you wear is important... 06:26 It sets the first impression. 06:27 That's what people see when they first meet you. 06:29 Yeah aha, you been tellin me that for the last two years, 06:31 and by the way, aren't you a Christian man? 06:33 And you still smokin that success stuff... 06:35 Man, you gotta come to reality, 06:37 This is it, this is the mail room, mail come in, it go out. 06:40 Everything that go out, go out in boxes. 06:41 You don't get it? Don't get what? 06:43 You can get out of this mailroom. 06:45 G- Stacks could get out of the mailroom? 06:47 When people come here, they notice you. 06:49 The people that matter can come down here and see you, 06:51 and see the potential - and then you get out of the mailroom. 06:54 Now I gotta agree, I do have some potential, 06:56 but nobody down here to see it, 06:57 but you and you ain't doin nothin for me. 06:59 Have you seen Mr. Martin's mail? Mr. Who? 07:04 The CEO of the company, Mr. Martin. 07:06 Mr. Martin? Oh Mr. Martin...Ohh 07:09 Hey Mr. Martin! How are you? 07:12 It's nice to meet you sir, I was just getting ready to 07:14 bring this upstairs to you. 07:15 Oh wow, thank you so very much, but that's not necessary. 07:18 My secretary is out today so I decided to make the 07:21 trek down here myself because this is a very important 07:24 piece of mail for me. 07:25 Are you sure, sir, it's not a problem, 07:27 I can still bring it up for you. 07:28 No, no, no, that's quite all right, 07:29 but I do appreciate the initiative. 07:31 By the way, what's your name? 07:32 Malik, sir, Malik Preston. 07:33 Malik Preston, I'll remember that name, not a difficult name. 07:36 I think I'll hold on to it. Thank you sir. 07:40 Mr. Anderson! 07:41 Oh, you must be the Mr. Martin everybody is talking about. 07:44 Boy, I... man, good to see you again. 07:46 It's been a long time, like what 2 years now 07:48 since I've seen you. 07:50 Now you must be making some money - look at how you dress, 07:51 look at how I dress man, but that's okay, 07:53 this is G-Stacks' outfit. 07:54 Haystacks? No, G-Stacks. 07:57 So what's up, my brother? 07:58 Well I wanted to just know how 07:59 you're doing down here in the mailroom? 08:01 It's the mailroom, "m-a-i-l" that's all I get down here. 08:04 It comes in, it goes out, that's all I need to do. 08:05 The sun done come up, the sun go down, 08:07 I come in, I go home... as long as my 08:09 check show up, I'm cool. 08:11 You do understand that you don't have 08:13 to remain in the mailroom. 08:14 Well you tryin to tell me 08:16 there's some other place I can go? 08:17 Yeah, there's always opportunity for improvement. 08:20 We are always looking for the best and the brightest 08:22 minds in this company. 08:23 We want to improve and promote our people in this company. 08:26 I believed that 2 years ago, but I'm still stuck down here, 08:29 so what else do I need to do to get outta here? 08:31 Well, it depends upon your deportment, your demeanor... 08:33 the way you dress, the way you talk, 08:35 the way you act - all of that factors into the promotions 08:38 that we do in this company. 08:39 In a big word, "deportment," see, I aim my vocabulary, 08:42 just say, "clothin." 08:43 But, so what should I do then to get out of here 08:46 because I'm kinda getting tired 08:47 of just looking at walls, there ain't no windows 08:48 down here either - you know what I'm sayin? 08:51 Yeah, if you do your best, we'll see your best, 08:53 and that's how we promote. 08:54 So you tryin to tell me that there's hope for G-Stacks? 08:57 I mean, I could make it... I could go upstairs and see 09:00 other people? 09:01 There's hope for everybody. 09:03 Hmm - Okay I'll try to do my best. 09:05 I mean, if you tellin me it's workin for you 09:06 so must be some truth to it, so, you know, I'll try to 09:09 apply myself - I appreciate the words, Mr. Martin. 09:11 Peace out. Appreciate that. 09:13 Malik, appreciate the initiative. Thank you sir. 09:16 Appreciate your work. Thank you. 09:17 By the way, I like that tie. Thank you 09:20 So he the man, huh? He's the man! 09:27 Hey brother - call that number after 5 p.m. 09:30 Hmm, mmm, my - "Your path to great success starts here." 09:35 "55-prophet" - I'm gonna try cause, I mean, look 09:37 at how you dress and look at how he dresses. 09:40 There got to be somethin other than this for G-Stacks. 09:42 Yeah, I'll make the call, maybe I got a 09:45 brighter future, who knows? 09:53 Well Grant hopefully has learned what Malik already knows... 09:58 That is.. whether we like it or not, whether we think it's 10:04 fair or not, people judge you on how you present yourself 10:08 each day. 10:10 Having worked with senior executives and CEOs, 10:13 as they review those that they deem upwardly mobile, 10:17 I can assure you that senior managers do talk about 10:21 how you present yourself. 10:24 Now, let's look at the first most obvious thing that 10:28 people notice about you and that is the way that you dress. 10:31 Okay, some of you are saying, "Look, I have a right 10:35 to exercise my personal taste in how I dress." 10:39 My response to that statement is, "You most certainly do," 10:45 and your up line supervisors and managers have a right 10:48 to judge you on how you look when you are working 10:51 at their company. 10:54 You see, how you dress at home or when you're away from work 10:57 is absolutely no one else's business but yours. 11:01 However, when you are in the workplace of a company 11:04 that you do not own, it can create 11:08 an unwanted distraction. 11:09 The reason that this topic is such a controversial one is 11:14 because the way we dress, our taste and our sense of style 11:18 it's incredibly personal. 11:20 In fact, it so personal that some people believe 11:23 it is an extension of who they actually are. 11:26 Here are two questions to ask yourself before selecting 11:29 a work outfit... 11:31 Is this outfit one that the culture at my job 11:34 will embrace or reject? 11:36 Does this outfit help or hurt my chances of success 11:40 here at work? 11:41 If you really want to understand the culture of dress 11:45 that is acceptable at your company, 11:47 observe how the senior team dresses. 11:50 What seems to be the acceptable norm for them? 11:53 Now some basic tips that might seem like common sense 11:58 for those who are enlightened, might be due for 12:00 reinforcement on this topic. 12:02 Unless you are in the high fashion industry, 12:06 you can rarely go wrong opting for a more conservative look. 12:10 The more conservative style, the better - your blues, 12:13 your grays, solid or pin-stripes. 12:15 Women - you may include more colors. 12:17 Now someone might be saying... 12:19 If I'm too conservative, nobody will notice me. 12:23 Well, you want to be noticed for how you work, 12:26 not necessarily on how flashy and fashion-forward you dress. 12:32 I have hundreds of stories where dress was the deciding factor 12:36 AGAINST someone's advancement. 12:39 The senior team consistently saw poor taste in dress 12:44 as poor judgment, and a more conservative 12:47 dresser with maybe even the same skill got the nod. 12:51 Wear outfits that communicate "I am a business leader." 12:56 Party clothes SCREAM party person and provocative 13:01 is not good. 13:04 So when should I change my outfit, you ask? 13:07 Well, if you work for an accounting firm - when you're 13:12 wearing any of the outfits on Hollywood dancing stars, 13:16 you probably should change. 13:19 If your boss and their boss stops by your office, 13:22 and at the end of the conversation they say 13:25 something like, "WOW, we didn't even know 13:28 those colors went together..." you should probably change. 13:32 If you were going up to work in an elevator and people are 13:35 asking you, Where is the party? You should probably change. 13:40 Bottom line - if you look in the mirror and you're saying 13:43 to yourself, "Maybe I shouldn't wear this?" 13:47 You should definitely change. 13:49 Basic rules... No lumps or bumps in your clothes. 13:53 Whether you are buff to the max or you need to 13:55 spend more time in the gym, wear clothes that do not 13:59 accentuate anything that could be distracting away from 14:03 your excellence as a worker. 14:05 Be careful with skin... whether it's a miniskirt 14:08 or a golf shirt that shows off your 20 inch arm 14:11 or visible tattoos - if it causes workplace discussion 14:15 that are not about your abilities, it's a distraction 14:19 that you do not want. 14:20 Now, here's a special word of caution... 14:23 "Casual Friday" should not be "dirt bag Friday." 14:28 I'm going into downtown office buildings all over the 14:30 country, filled with highly skilled professionals 14:34 and I've gone in on Friday wondering if I 14:36 stumbled into a beach party movie. 14:38 They wore flip-flops, they wore jeans that were 14:40 torn and cut, and tank tops and assorted picnic outfits. 14:44 I'm not sure if any of these people thought about how 14:47 they were being viewed by their leaders. 14:51 Casual Friday - dress down, but not out. 14:55 Now, let's talk about the impact of communication skills. 14:59 Do you sound knowledgeable and intelligent? 15:02 Whether we like it or not, we're judged not only 15:05 on how we look, but how we sound. 15:07 It helps people find a comfort zone when dealing with us. 15:11 Imagine yourself lost... and so you're turned around 15:15 and you knew you had to ask for directions, 15:18 so you pull into a service station and there's a gentleman 15:21 standing outside - when you pull up next to him, 15:24 you roll down your window and before you can say anything, 15:27 he smiles and says, "Hello there, can I help you?" 15:30 Psychologically, the smile and the friendly manner put you 15:35 a little more at ease, even though you still 15:38 don't have your directions yet. 15:39 He continues to explain, pleasantly, that you missed 15:42 your turn about 2 miles back. 15:45 Now, did the way he sounded have any effect on you? 15:48 Well of course it did. 15:49 His accent, if he had one, was not particularly an issue 15:53 as long as you could understand him. 15:56 What you wanted to know was... could he help you. 15:59 So as you listened to him, you were trying to determine 16:02 if he was knowledgeable and when you were convinced that 16:05 he was correct in his instructions, 16:08 you experienced relief and you set about following them; 16:12 however, you first had to decide if you believed he knew 16:17 what he was talking about in the first place. 16:20 So what do you sound like? 16:21 Are you articulate, or do you sound well-read? 16:25 Are you clearly understood. Do you sound educated? 16:28 Whether we like it or not, we are being judged 16:31 from the instant we show up until we leave, 16:34 but that's heightened at the point where we 16:37 begin to speak. 16:38 Now you might ask, why is this important to me in my career? 16:41 Well, look at it this way... 16:43 It's hard to be good at your job if you're not articulate, 16:47 if you can't persuade or if you're not easily understood. 16:51 There are so many times at your job where the conversation 16:54 will be one-on-one, but also one-to-many, 16:57 and to have a vibrant career, you will need to be effective 17:01 in communicating in both situations. 17:04 If you're in a meeting, when you're finished talking, 17:06 people need to know and understand what you said. 17:10 If you want them to actually take some action 17:12 and do something with your information, 17:14 you will also need to be persuasive. 17:17 Now whether there is a true correlation or not, 17:21 there is definitely a belief that high achievers 17:24 will be able to speak well. 17:26 Sometimes you'll hear the word "smart," describing a person... 17:29 It is simply the speaker's way of describing someone they 17:32 feel is intelligent and articulate. 17:35 Bottom line - At your job, do you sound like 17:39 you know what you're talking about? 17:42 I want to make an additional point about why selling 17:45 speeches and persuasive speech are important 17:48 to your career. 17:49 Persuasive speech enrolls coworkers 17:52 and helps to sell ideas. 17:55 Now some of your work life will be spent in trying to 17:58 convince others of how your ideas can help your 18:01 team achieve success. 18:03 This is when you need to be the most persuasive. 18:07 You need to be able to sell an idea and the benefits 18:10 that it will have for the people that you're speaking to. 18:13 Let's say that you found a way to fix a company-wide problem... 18:16 If they follow your advice, not only can you fix the 18:20 problem area being addressed, but you'll also be able to 18:23 save your company several hundred thousands of dollars. 18:27 Now it's great that you've come up with this plan, 18:30 in fact; if they implement it, you might actually 18:33 become a hero. 18:34 However, before you'll be able to bask in the glow of 18:38 your genius, you will have to tell somebody... 18:41 No, you will have to sell somebody on your idea... 18:44 starting with your boss and then their boss, and their boss, 18:48 and so on, and so on. 18:50 Great leaders are known for their ability to sell ideas. 18:55 Now here's an incredibly intriguing fact... 18:59 Often good communicators are given credit for intelligence... 19:03 notice I did not say, "talkers," I said "communicators" 19:08 to give them credit for an intelligence that they 19:11 may not have - from getting team members to take a 19:14 particular course of action, to asking for a raise, 19:18 your ability to sell your ideas will be critical to your 19:22 career success. 19:23 Now let's take a look at how nonverbal communication 19:27 affects your image... 19:28 Nonverbal communication accompanies verbal 19:31 communication and it either supports it or invalidates it. 19:36 Let's look at facial expressions... 19:38 They really share our moods, what we're really thinking, 19:41 what's really going on. 19:43 Years ago, there was a television series about a 19:46 starship that traveled throughout the universe, 19:49 and they had a science officer who had pointy ears, 19:53 and he was always calm. 19:57 So there they would be fighting the space storm or into a 20:01 really dangerous situation and just before they would 20:04 crash, they would look at the science officer and with no 20:08 emotion, he would simply say, "Yes Captain, we're about to 20:11 crash in 3.2 seconds, in 2.1 seconds, always calm, 20:16 and we loved him. 20:17 And the reason was... his facial expression always 20:22 shared with us a message of control, of calm. 20:26 In fact, as a leader, we looked up to him. 20:29 Now if your words and your facial expressions don't 20:32 match, people will believe your facial expression first. 20:37 Here's an example... 20:39 You come in in the morning and you're really not 20:42 feeling all that great, so one of your coworkers, 20:46 always the perky one, comes up and says, "Oh, how are you 20:48 today?" 20:50 And you look at them and say, "Fine." 20:53 Now, your facial expression said, "Horrible day." 20:57 Your words were "fine," which was believed? 21:01 Trust me - it wasn't your words because your facial expression, 21:06 your nonverbal is seen as being more honest than your verbal. 21:12 Now, speech volume also communicates nonverbally. 21:17 I really don't understand this, but if someone speaks 21:21 in a language that we don't understand, 21:23 we tend to become louder. 21:26 "GOOD MORNING, HOW ARE YOU?" They're not deaf, 21:30 they just don't speak your language. 21:33 And, if you look at volume, yelling in the communications 21:37 transaction, usually denotes some intensity of feeling. 21:42 Now, speaking before a group requires a confident voice 21:47 in order to be believed... so there's going to be more 21:49 volume - there's going to be more projection there, 21:52 but yelling, hmm, not so much. 21:55 Now vocal inflection, pauses, also send a message. 22:01 I've seen people send messages with just a sheer pause. 22:05 Here's how it works... 22:06 "Well what do you think about Bob's work?" 22:09 Here's the response... (Head down, nonverbal) 22:13 Now, there was absolutely no quote that could be used; 22:17 however, I believe I sent a message. 22:21 Back in college, I had a roommate who said, 22:24 "You Americans put the emPHAsis on the wrong sylLAble." 22:28 And I thought about this as we would chat because 22:32 what he was really saying was that the way we emphasize 22:35 words, made a difference in their meanings. 22:38 Now I'm going to give you a phrase and I'm going to 22:40 show you how I can emphasize different words and create 22:45 totally different meanings... 22:48 For this example, let's use the phrase, 22:51 "I did not say, "he ate the cookie." 22:54 And we're going to change the emphasis on different words 22:58 and look how the meaning changes. 23:01 So, let's put the emphasis on the first word... 23:05 "I did not say, "he ate the cookie." 23:09 Well, that meaning could mean, you didn't say it; however, 23:14 did someone else say - he ate the cookie? 23:17 Let's put the emphasis on the word "say." 23:21 "I did not SAY - he ate the cookie." 23:25 Could that mean you wrote down that he ate the cookie? 23:29 "I did not say - he ATE the cookie." 23:33 With the emphasis being on the word "ate," 23:36 hmm, did he just take the cookie and hide it somewhere? 23:42 "I did not say - he ate the COOKIE." 23:45 Well maybe he didn't eat the cookie, 23:48 but did he eat all the candy that was in the bowl? 23:52 Simply by changing the emphasis on words, 23:55 we can change their meaning. 23:58 We should be well aware of that when we are communicating 24:00 with someone and when our intent is to make sure 24:04 that our point is well taken. 24:06 Now let's look at the area of gestures and how nonverbally 24:12 they help us communicate. 24:14 "Hands," for instance, they often create context. 24:17 They illustrate small, LARGE. 24:22 Have you seen this one? "Cold" 24:25 "Warm" 24:28 Simply by using our hands, we can add an exclamation point 24:32 almost to any subject that we're talking about. 24:35 "Posture" also communicates nonverbally. 24:39 Years ago, I was speaking at a university and I went to 24:43 several classes to share with them tips on how to 24:46 get jobs, how to keep jobs, and I started at the freshman 24:50 class and they were slumped over and they were kind of 24:53 laying on the desk and "Ehh, whatever." 24:57 And went to a sophomore class and spoken, 25:00 they were just a little bit more interested, 25:02 and I could tell by their posture. 25:03 By the time I got to the junior class, 25:05 I had a little more of their attention and they kind of 25:08 their attention and they kind of sat up and by the time 25:09 I got to the seniors, who were leaving the university 25:13 and about to go into the job market, 25:15 I had their full attention. 25:17 How did I know? By their posture. 25:19 They were attentive, they were very interested and focused. 25:23 So posture will tell someone whether or not you're 25:27 listening or you're focused on what they're talking about. 25:30 At work, you want to project that you are on point 25:34 and focused, so you want your posture to have that aggressive 25:37 business look about it. 25:39 So here are some tips for projecting a positive image... 25:43 Dress each day for a meeting with the president 25:47 or the leader of your organization. 25:49 If you met them in the hallway, would you feel good 25:52 about what your wearing? 25:54 Speak clearly and confidently to whoever you're speaking with, 26:00 whether it be the boss, a peer or someone that 26:02 reports to you. 26:04 SMILE, look the person directly in the eye. 26:06 Always give a firm handshake, 26:09 and be an enthusiastic team player. 26:12 With your nonverbal, let people know that you're committed 26:15 to being there and doing a good job. 26:18 And... 27:03 Now this outfit is the bomb! 27:06 Wear it and watch your life be blessed. 27:10 Until next time, keep "Working the Dream" |
Revised 2017-08-29